Wishing Time Stood Still
by PotterPotterPotter
Summary: Takes place in Harry's seventh year. A new class has been added a dance class. How does this class change the relationship between the golden trio? And what happens to a relationship that flourished last year? Alternate Ending for As We Dance start at ch9


Today felt like most other days at Hogwarts. They woke up at the same time as always, they had classes as usual, and they proceeded to eat their meals as they always did. The only difference was that today was not like every other day. Today was the day before the Halloween Masquerade Ball. The students buzzed with excitement. The whole school seemed to be talking about nothing other than whom they were hoping to dance with, or who they were hoping to kiss. And to Hermione's astonishment, most of the school seemed to dismiss the Hermione and Draco rumor. The Slytherin girls seemed to be fighting about who Draco would kiss by the end of the night. A few girls had to be pulled apart by McGonagall because they began to pull at each other's hair. Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing as she watched the girls use such a Muggle form of fighting, their wands lay forgotten on the floor near their feet. After pulling them away from each other she took 20 points each from Slytherin.

Hermione walked past this scene but before passing she heard one girl say, "He's mine!" before turning to join their respective groups of Slytherin girls.

Hermione continued to giggle all the way to her last class of the day, Dance. She had been looking forward to this class all day. She and Draco were planning on finishing their routine today. Hermione had a few ideas of what they could do. With plans of putting these ideas into physical movements, she hurried to the back of the room and waited for Draco to come.

The class was now filing into the room, none of them looking forward to the embarrassment that was dancing. She spotted Ron and Harry as they entered the room. They all took their usual seats along the mirrored walls. Miss Vandermark motioned for Hermione and Draco to join them.

"Today, we are going to learn a simple routine to perform tomorrow at the masquerade," Miss Vandermark told the class.

"Perform?" Neville shouted, much louder than he intended to be, "W-we're going to per-perform?"

"Why yes," she said not looking at the classes scared faces.

Hermione knew what dancing in front of a large group was like, in her fourth year she had to dance in front of the whole school, with Victor Krum.

"It will be a Viennese waltz," she told the class, "you will learn the steps and you will be paired up just before the dance according to height and what you wear. And so that the identity of everyone stays secret till the end of the night when all of your masks are removed."

"So we won't have any idea who we are dancing with?" Harry asked looking at Ron who had now looked angrily in Hermione's direction.

Hermione had a feeling that whoever she was dancing with would figure out it was her, because she was a good dancer, so she made herself a promise that she wouldn't dance very well when she got paired up.

Everyone chose their partner for learning to dance and no one wanted to be paired with Draco or Hermione while learning, so they danced together. Hermione watched everyone learning so she knew how to make simple mistakes. As class finally ended Miss Vandermark dismissed them and everyone quickly left.

Dinner that night went very quick as students wanted to go sleep so that the events of the next day would come quicker. Hermione went off to bed before Draco came back from dinner. She changed into her night gown and fell asleep quickly.

"Ginny!" Hermione said as she found her sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, "Ginny, I was doing some research and found this simple spell for our hair, I was thinking we should use it to change our hair so no one will know it's us."

"What are you saying?"

"I can change your hair color so it doesn't stand out so much."

"So I can have brown hair?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Any color you want."

"What color are you going to change yours to?"

"I was thinking I would go darker."

"Are you going to tell Draco?"

"I don't know yet. I was thinking about it but I wasn't sure, I was thinking we could just hope that we find each other while we're there."

"I think you should tell him." Ginny told her.

"I could write him a note and then he can find me."

"That sounds like a good idea, and then you don't feel guilty about telling him and he will still know that it's you."

"I will write it when I get back to my room," Hermione told her, "When do you want to come over to get ready?"

"How about I just come over after lunch?"

"That sounds good. I'll see you later. I'm going to go write that letter now. Bye."

"Bye."

Hermione got up and left the Great Hall.

Once back in her room she pulled out a piece of parchment, quill and ink and began writing. She finished her letter after about the twentieth try to word it right. She read through it:

_Draco,  
I was thinking of how to tell you this, and I decided to write it, because then you can find me. At the masquerade I will be wearing a purple dress, a purple mask and my hair will be a very dark brown. Please find me at the dance tonight.  
Love from,  
Hermione_

She folded the parchment and wrote his name on the front. She left it on the table in front of the fireplace. She pulled all of her stuff for the night out of her armoire and left it on her bed when she left for lunch. She found Ginny at the end of the table near the door when she entered the Great Hall. They had a quick lunch and headed to the head's dorms. Ginny did their makeup, doing only a subtle eye shadow because they were going to be wearing masks. Hermione performed the spell for their hair and Ginny now had brown hair, and Hermione's hair darkened quite a bit. They curled their hair and put it up elaborately. They put their dresses onand looked in the mirror and couldn't believe what they saw. Hermione no longer looked like the bushy haired bookworm, and Ginny no longer looked like the red haired athletic girl. Hermione looked seductive and beautiful, and Ginny was sexy and elegant.

"Did you give Malfoy the letter?"

"Not exactly, I left it where he would find it."

"So you aren't even sure he got it?"

"Well I looked when we came back and it wasn't there, so he must have gotten it, right?"

"Well if it isn't there he must have gotten it," Ginny said.

"I hope so," Hermione said, "Can you imagine if we take our masks out and find ourselves with other people."

"Yeah," Ginny said as they made their way to the head's common room, "I hope you find him tonight."

"Thanks," Hermione said as they entered the common room, "You should leave first, you know, don't want people to know we know each other."

"Good idea."

Ginny made her way to the door and pushed it open.

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione said quickly, "Your mask."

"Oh, thanks."

Ginny put her mask on and exited the room.

"Tell me what happens tomorrow!" she yelled back before closing the door.

Hermione made her way to the door. She put her mask to her face and it quickly sealed itself so it wouldn't be able to be taken off till midnight. She left the room and made her way down to the Great Hall.

There was a crowd outside the door. Miss Vandermark slid out of the door, closing it behind her.

"Seventh years please follow me," she yelled over the chattering students, "Seventh years this way please!"

Hermione made her way across the Entrance Hall to follow Miss Vandermark. She could now see individual students instead of just the sea of colors and feathers. Many of the boys went with masks of black, blue or green. But she could see a few boys ventured out and had red, gold, silver or even orange masks. The guys wore black tuxes, but a few wore dark green, red or blue. Almost every girl however was wearing pink or red. Some wore black to offset the brightness of their colors.

Miss Vandermark took them to a nearby corridor.

"Please stand against the walls, girls on this side," she motioned to her right, "and will the boys please stand over here."

Miss Vandermark began matching people up and re-matching them. She soon had everyone paired up. And asked each couple to do the first few steps to see how everyone danced together. And when she was done she led them to the door of the Great Hall. Hermione was paired with a tall boy wearing a deep red tux and a silver mask. His hair was a light brown and hung just above his eyes. They stood three couples from the front of the line. The doors to the Great Hall opened and they walked in.

The long tables had been moved and instead there was a dance floor, a few smaller tables and some chairs. Many different colored masks hung on the walls around them. The ceiling reflected the sky above, and candles floated with long strips of a very wide red ribbon weaving between them like dancing smoke.

The brown haired boy led Hermione to the far edge of the dance floor and took her hand in his. He placed his hand on her waist as she placed her free hand on his shoulder. The music started and everyone began the dance they practiced the day before. Hermione tried not to dance as well as she really could, and this was harder for her than she realized. Her mind blanked and she forgot the simple mistakes she was going to make. She decided to not worry about it and continued to dance the only way she knew how. She could tell this wasn't Draco because he didn't dance with the same strength, but he wasn't that bad. He seemed to know what he was doing, he just seemed nervous. His moves we very stiff and Hermione knew that if he just relaxed a bit he would be a much better dancer than he though he could be.

"If you just relax a bit, you wont feel so awkward when you dance," Hermione knew as soon as she said this she would be giving herself away, everyone knows her as a know it all, and telling him how to correct is problem would defiantly give her away.

"Oh, uh, thanks," he said shyly.

"Anytime," she said as they continued to dance.

Around and around they went, as the music played they danced every motion almost flawlessly. There were a few mistakes here and there, but for the most part they did quite well. The song ended and he bowed to her. She turned to leave but her arm was caught by the boy and he spun her around.

"Yes?" she asked him.

"May-" he stuttered as he let go of her arm, "May I have another dance?"

She took a deep breath, "What?"

"Please, may I have this dance?" He bowed politely, and looked up at her from this position.

"Sure," she said hesitantly.

He took her hand in his and wrapped the other around her waist once more. A slow song came on and he led her in dance. The stood as far away as they could while still in each other's arms.

"You don't mind if I confide in you just for the night, do you?" she said to him.

"Why just tonight?"

"If you are who I think you are," she told him, "then we won't be seeing much of each other in a while."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your family would love to know that we are here together tonight."

"What do you know about my family? You don't know them."

"And if you are as think as I think you are. Then this should be easy."

"What will?"

"Can I ask you a question? And I promise that it will be safe with me no matter how this night ends."

"How can I know for sure it will be safe with you?"

"If you could have one person dancing with you tonight who would it be? I don't care why you choose them, I just want to know who you would choose," she told him, "I won't go snitching it to anyone, and I will never speak of this conversation with anyone other than you."

"How can I know for sure my answer will be safe with you?" he said, "I don't even know who you are."

"You have trusted me enough to keep talking to me. So you tell me if you can trust me with your answer."

"Hermione." He said flatly.

She didn't say anything to this.

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go," she said stepping away from him.

"But," he said not understanding what had just happened.

"Listen," she told him, "you don't want to dance with her. She has done nothing but break your heart. Don't linger on the thought of her."

She turned and ran straight into a tall boy with black hair.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were there."

He smiled at her before saying, "what was in the little box I gave you?"

"Draco?" she said smiling back at him.

"Well that wasn't what was in the box," he said laughing, "but I'm sure you know."

"Draco!" she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Hermione," he said, "I have been looking for you all night."

"I would have, but I had nothing to go off of," she told him, "I'm so glad you found me."

"I'm sorry it took me so long," he said, "I have been asking everyone that question. And finally someone told me that you would know."

"You didn't get the letter?"

"What letter?"

"I left one on the table for you to find."

"I never saw a letter," he said, "but why does it matter, I found you anyway."

There was a sudden ringing in their ears. A very loud deep bell had sounded out. It was now midnight. She felt her mask loosen itself from her face. Her mask hit the ground with everyone else's.

"I must say," she told him, "I like you better with blonde hair."

He laughed and led her out of the Hall.


End file.
